New Library of Reclaimed Pine

The new pine panelled Library by John Tackett Design.
Photo by Peter Estersohn for Southern Accents magazine.

This new Library is another room in the Volk Estates, University Park, Dallas, Texas, residence that has been featured in previous posts of The Devoted Classicist.  The Entrance Stairhall can be seen here, the Living Room here, a downstairs Sitting Room here, the Luncheon Room here, and the Garden Room here;  all these rooms are in the renovated house.  One of the additions contained the Master Bedroom seen here, which is over this panelled Library.  As previously mentioned, this project was executed by John Tackett Design in conjunction with Dallas architect Wilson Fuqua and interior designer Josie McCarthy.

A corner of the new pine panelled Library by John Tackett Design.
Photo by Peter Estersohn for Southern Accents magazine.

As the grain and knots were of importance, builder Kevin Smith was able to source the wood from an old warehouse in Louisiana that was being demolished.  It was remilled to conform to the desired panels and custom moulding profiles of my specifications, and then washed with grey stain to relieve the redness of Southern Pine and waxed by Barry Martin, whose company was responsible for most of the painting on the project.

Snapshots of the new Library before the foil tea paper was applied to the ceiling.
Image:  John Tackett Design.

Although some of the furnishings were purchased especially for these rooms, almost all of the furniture from the owner's previous home, which was also decorated by Josie McCarthy, was reused, albeit in a different way, and usually reupholstered or slightly altered.

The Luncheon Room was previously a Breakfast Room.  The new Breakfast Room and the Dining Room will be featured in up-coming posts.

The great set of prints in the Luncheon Room were previously displayed on the staircase of the Strait Lane home.  Some years ago, that house was featured in a holiday issue of Southern Accents magazine, so it is included in this post as seasonal inspiration.

The owners' previous home on Strait Lane, in Dallas, Texas, as decorated by Josie McCarthy.

Decorative Painting, Part 2

The Master Bedroom from a project by John Tackett Design.
Photo by Pieter Estersohn from SOUTHERN ACCENTS ON COLOR.

The Devoted Classicist is a great admirer of decorative painting, and this is the second of a series of essays, the first being back on December 26, 2010.  Shown here is the Master Bedroom of a house in the Volk Estates area of Highland Park, Dallas, Texas.  A view of the exterior and the renovated staircase in the stenciled Entrance Hall can be revisited on the July 28, 2011, post.  The suite occupies part of the existing house as well as the second story of one of the new additions;  in addition to the large bedroom, there are His & Hers Dressing Rooms, His & Hers Bathrooms, a Sitting Room, and an Office.  The wood chimneypiece was reused from the Garden Room downstairs (below the Sitting Room) and given a faux marbre finish. For the sake of variety and to give a coziness to the room with a big cove and tray ceiling, it was decided that a faux bois paneled decoration would be just the ticket.  The decorative painting was executed by the noted artist Robert Jackson and his team.

The bed, a discontinued model by Mark Hampton for Hickory Chair which was given a glaze painted finish on site, was chosen by collaborator Josie McCarthy who also specified all the fabrics.  John Tackett Design provided a full size template for the bed canopy (and pleated valances for the windows and French doors) to work with the embroidered fabric from Chelsea Editions.  The photo, which originally appeared as part of an 18 page article in Southern Accents magazine, is from the book Southern Accents on Color, available here.  And yes, the magazine editor and photographer did move the candle wall sconces and watercolor portrait for the shot!

Staircase Renovation

The renovated stair with a new balustrade by John Tackett Design compliments the original style of the house.  The custom stencilled decorative painting was executed by the late Robert Jackson and his crew.
Photo by Pieter Estersohn.

As a continuation of the series of posts on the house in Volk Estates, University Park, Dallas, the improvements for the main staircase in the Entrance Hall are presented here.  Although the house was built in the Tudor Revival style in 1934, it had been remodelled in the 1950s with many of the original details replaced by more modern and eclectic features.  The Fifties iron stair balustrade was the first thing noticed on entering the house, and it was the feature at the top of the list that the new owners were most eager to change.

A BEFORE view of the Fifties balustrade showing the new oak handrail.
Photo by John Tackett Design.

New wood balusters, newel and handrail were designed to compliment the architecture and comply with safety requirements.  The curve of the stairs was continued above, with the floor opening altered and a curved second floor partition added to redefine the space.

An IN PROGRESS view showing the new balustrade and the altered floor opening to continue the curve.
Photo by John Tackett Design.

These changes led to a reconstruction of the entrance to the second floor bedroom located above the main entrance.  Although the bedroom had an attractive triple exposure, the original locations of the doors prevented a comfortable placement of furniture.  The new plan proposed by John Tackett Design shown below was realized, relocating the entrance to a large walk-through closet that also provided acess to an adjacent second guest bathroom and guest bedroom (not shown).

The Proposed Plan of the renovated second floor Stair Hall and the Guest Bedroom.
Drawing by John Tackett Design.

On the exterior, the unique original oriel window of Douglas fir, copper, and leaded glass placed against the exterior wall of random Texas fieldstone and diaper-patterned brick makes the house memorable.  The original architect was Clyde H. Griesenbeck, noted for his picturesque Tudor manors in both University Park and adjacent Highland Park.

An Exterior view of the main entrance with the Guest Bedroom above.
Photo by Steve Clicque from THE HOMES OF THE PARK CITIES, DALLAS:  GREAT AMERICAN SUBURBS.

The 2008 book THE HOMES OF THE PARK CITIES, DALLAS:  GREAT AMERICAN SUBURBS may be purchased through The Devoted Classicist Library at a discount of 37% off the published price and the option of free shipping by clicking here.

Slipcovers for Luncheon Chairs

A preliminary design for the decoration of the slipcovers for the Luncheon Room chairs.
Drawing by John Tackett Design.

A new addition to the house in Volk Estates, University Park, Dallas, that linked the main house to the existing garage contained a new Breakfast Room among other spaces.  So the original Breakfast Room, a pleasant almost square space that was entered through a segmental arch opening from the vestibule to the Dining Room, was renamed the Luncheon Room.  It had been decided that the upholstered Hepplewhite chairs would have linen slipcovers with a box pleat skirt to give contrast to the more formal Dining Room.  I had found a document that illustrated magnificent seventeenth century lettering that would serve as a guide for an embroidered monogram.  The slipcovers had already been made and just about to be decorated when the Lady of the House attended a luncheon at a friend's home who had a new set of very similar slipcovered chairs with a monogramed back!  A change of design was needed, and I proposed several variations including the one sketched above with an applique of ribbon for decoration.

The slipcovers of the Luncheon Room chairs have an Etruscan motif.
Photos by John Tackett Design.

But when it was decided that the Luncheon Room was to be decorated with a wonderful series of prints of Roman pottery decorations and a collection of basalt porcelain, both of which my clients already owned, I switched to an Estrucsan motif for the embroidery.  I drew the design full size and it was scanned into a computer that produced the machine stitching by Penn & Fletcher, a company that I had discovered through a friend who designed costumes for Broadway shows.  It was just one of many touches that made this home an individual expression.

 John Tackett Design provided the Etruscan motif for the Luncheon Room slipcovers.
Photo by Pieter Estersohn.

Living Room Floor Plan and Sitting Room

Photo of Sitting Room tabletop detail by Pieter Estersohn.

A friend who is a regular reader of The Devoted Classicist asked if I could show the floor plan of the Living Room featured in the previous post.  Normally, I would not for the sake of privacy, but since the photographs had appeared in Southern Accents magazine and my clients no longer live there, I am showing the furniture plan for purposes of education and record.  To fill out the post, I am including a couple of shots of the adjacent Sitting Room as well.

One thing about Southern Accents that I never cared for was the amount of coverage given to the "artsy" shots for which the magazine became notorious.  It would be interesting to know the number of times that a magnolia blossom was featured.  So now I am guilty of the same mis-use, including the first photo simply because it satisfies the Blogger template for thumbnails!  Please forgive my editorial lapse in judgement.

The Sitting Room photographed by Pieter Estersohn.

This Sitting Room, a step down from the Living Room and looking out to the west over the deep extent of gardens, was a much-admired space.  The office of Josie McCarthy is responsible for the interior design here and none of the contributions by John Tackett Design are visible in the photo.  The sofa fabric by Colefax & Fowler is one of my favorites, however.

Drawing by John Tackett Design.

The floor plan of the Living Room featured in the previous post with the folding screen is shown here.  It is a proposed plan that was changed slightly for the final appearance that appeared in the Southern Accents magazine article.  The main difference is that the floor was covered with a patterned sisal wall to wall with antique oriental rugs added on top, a very effective scheme that added charm and helped prevent the room from being stuffy or pretentious.  And the coordinating antique rugs in the adjacent Entrance Hall and Sitting Room helped visually link those spaces.  Normally, the Living Room would have to accomodate enough seating to match the Dining Room, but that requirement was eased here because of the adjacent Sitting Room, Garden Room, and Library beyond.

The Travellers: Folding Screen

A view of the Living Room of a Volk Estates house renovated by John Tackett Design.
Photo by Pieter Estersohn  for "Southern Accents" magazine.

As a continuation of The Travellers, a series where the same furnishings are shown used in different ways in different locations, this edition illustrates a folding screen.  In its traditional placement to define a seating group adjacent to a doorway or as a wall hanging, a folding screen can be a huge asset to a classic interior.

The clients' Living Room in their former home, decorated by Josie McCarthy.
Photo by Peter Woloszynski for "Southern Accents" magazine.

This is also a continuation of the previous July 8, 2011, post where most of the furnishings from the clients' former residence on Strait Lane were re-used at their newly renovated home on Vassar Avenue in the Volk Estates area of University Park, Dallas, Texas.  The Garden Room is down a step through the thick doorway past the screen in the first photo.  For this new placement, the back of the screen was upholstered with a check fabric and decorated with framed miniatures attached to lengths of gros grain ribbon.  It is always a good investment to buy what you love, especially a versatile piece that can be used in a variety of ways.

Garden Room Revealed

The Garden Room of a house in the Volk Estates section of University Park, Dallas, Texas, renovated by John Tackett Design.
Photo by Pieter Estersohn.

A number of blogs, including two of my favorites, The Peak of Chic and Me & Mrs. Jones, have featured the latest book by Florence de Dampierre, Walls:  The Best of Decorative Treatments which was published by Rizzoli this past March.

 

I was delighted to learn that a room from one of my projects, an extensive renovation of a 1920s house in the Volk Estates area of University Park, Dallas, Texas was featured.  The book is a little "lite" in text, however, and no identification is given for the room, a peeve that has now moved to the top of my list of Issues With Authors of Design Books.  But The Devoted Classicist is happy to be able to provide more information on the room.

The wallpaper panels as installed in the Dining Room of the owners' previous home, with interior design by Josie McCarthy.
Photo by Peter Woloszynski.

The eighteenth century handpainted wallpaper panels were bought by my clients some years before, and installed in the previous home's Dining Room which was arranged with mouldings in a boiserie effect of black lacquer walls.  But the owners wanted to use them differently in their new residence.

The trio of custom made stools resulted from a 1996 series of velvet covered furniture developed by John Tackett Design.
Photo by Pieter Estersohn.

The space was previously a Florida Room with jalousie windows of glass louvers and a shag carpet over the concrete floor.  With the addition of a new panelled Library on the ground floor, this room became a passage from the adjacent Living Room on one side and a cozy Sitting Room on another, making it essential to create a distinctive space as well as a link to the remarkable garden beyond.

Drawing by John J. Tackett  from construction documents by John Tackett Design.

The six panels were the same length, but of different widths.  The layout of both the room and the panels allowed them to be joined as a large panel on the north and south walls but kept separate to flank a doorway on the east wall.  A design module was devised to allow a fretwork frame that would fit the four resulting widths yet still allow for corners to be resolved.

Views of the Garden Room showing the south and west elevations showing the treillage added to the ceiling and the antique tole chandelier from Marvin Alexander, Inc.  The slipcovered loveseat was relocated for the previous images.
Photos by John J. Tackett, John Tackett Design.

To reinforce the garden theme, a traditional lattice motif was introduced but restricted to the ceiling.  Roofing slates were used for the new flooring and custom French doors open to a new porch.

A scap of the wallpaper from the previous installation was used to develop the paint scheme for the Garden Room.
Photo by John J. Tackett.

The paint scheme for the room was developed on site with the owner and the painter, Barry Martin, who used pigments to mix the colors for review and approval.  The furnishings were a collaboration with Josie McCarthy, who had designed the interiors of the clients' former home.  An admirable job was done by the building contractor Kevin Smith, and Wilson Fuqua provided the documentation for Code Compliance.  The 1999 Pieter Estersohn photos originally appeared in a fourteen page article in "Southern Accents" magazine in 2001.  Some photos of the house also appeared in the 2003 book Southern Accents on Color edited by Frances McDougall.  My clients have since sold the house, now spending more time at another project I designed for them in Pebble Beach, California.  But additional aspects of this Vassar Avenue house will be featured in future posts of The Devoted Classicist.

The 2011 book WALLS: THE BEST OF DECORATIVE TREATMENTS can be ordered at a discount of 30% off the published price with the option of free shipping by clicking here to visit The Devoted Classicist Library.